Tastes of Desire
by pandorabox82
Summary: After Aaron Hotchner's team manages to potentially destroy the case Casey Novak had been building against a known child trafficker, it falls to Erin Strauss to clean up the mess they left behind. But who will pick up the pieces of her shattered psyche? Written for Jekkah as our January crossover challenge!


Erin glared at the insufferable woman for the fifth time in as many minutes. She was worse than Emily Prentiss and Alex Blake combined, something she had never thought possible, and yet here she was, wishing she could throttle the woman. "Casey, are we almost finished here? I would like to get home sometime."

"I'd like that, too, Erin. However, it was your team that led to this fiasco of a case and I need you to sift through this, since your Director saw fit to send them all out on a two week suspension. It really would have gone faster had some of them stayed around to help us out."

The woman glared right back at her, and Erin felt herself wince internally. Really, she was trying to be a nicer person, and all those on Alpha team had seen that, making the effort to include her. Then this disaster had happened, and she was stuck with this pissy little slip of a DA from New York City, trying to salvage the case against a major child trafficker. Aaron had tried to apologize, but she wanted nothing of it. He had his easy punishment, she was stuck with that, that, _harridan_.

Said harridan chose that moment to frown at her. "What?" Erin hissed out, frowning back.

"I could use a drink. Do you have any cognac in your office?"

Erin stiffened at the mention of alcohol, and her eyes narrowed impossibly more. "No, I don't drink," she bit out, angrily pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. "Though you could find a few bottles of water in that cupboard right behind you."

"Ugh. How can you do this job and not drink? Or are you an alcoholic like Cragen?"

"I don't see how any of that is your business, Casey." Erin pushed away from the table and stalked over to her window, staring down at the quad. At this time of night, there was no one there and she wished there was someone there to focus on.

The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and she whirled around to find Casey staring at her, a bottle of her expensive water dangling from her fingers. "Frou-frou much?"

"Dammit, I need some way to spend my money, now that it doesn't all go to booze," she heatedly replied, snatching the bottle from her hand and unscrewing the cap, gulping the liquid down. Some of it rolled down her chin to splash on her shirt, turning the white fabric opaque. The other woman just stared at her like she had grown a third head and she narrowed her eyes once more. "What?"

"You are even more tense than I am." Erin rolled her eyes, taking another drag off the bottle. She found herself unable to calm down, something about Casey Novak just set her teeth on edge. She turned back to the window, focusing on the twinkling stars in the sky. Their cold light seemed to seep into her soul and she closed her eyes.

Casey touched her shoulder lightly and she tugged free of the touch, not wanting to feel anyone or anything at the moment. The things she had had to look at were too vile and she was sick and tired of having to deal with it that evening. "Please, can we go home for a bit? I'll come back early in the morning, I promise, I just need to sleep."

The woman let out a short snort of a laugh. "You deal with some of the most vile human beings day in and day out. So do I. Yet you don't see me whining about needing a break, now do you? Suck it up and deal with it."

Erin shook her head slowly as she turned to glare at the woman. "No. My job is to deal with budget meetings. To deal with disciplinary hearings. The everyday minutiae of a bureaucrat is what I am familiar with, having to smooth the ruffled feathers of local law enforcement when they get upset that one of my teams has overstepped their bounds. I never asked to be privy to this Hell. I don't look at those pictures because I don't want to know what horrors people can commit. And yet, you've forced me to look at all those pictures tonight and I cannot help but rail at God and ask why He would allow such atrocities to happen."

She knew she was yelling at the woman by that point, but she didn't care, she was past caring, past trying to be nice. She was hurting, and had to lash out at someone. Blindly, she tried to push past Casey, only for the woman to latch onto her arm, pulling her close, crashing her lips against hers. The shock of the move startled her into stillness, allowing Casey to wrap her in a tight embrace, maneuvering them over to the sofa, and they sat heavily.

The woman deepened the kiss as she buried a hand in her thick hair. It seemed as if the woman couldn't stop tasting her, and Erin felt the familiar flicker of desire flame up in her breast. Hesitantly, she began to return the kiss, licking at the seam of Casey's mouth until the woman let her in. Their tongues dueled as their hands tugged and pulled at fastenings on their clothes, throwing them to the side in their eagerness.

Erin moaned lowly as she felt Casey drag her lips down the column of her neck, nipping and sucking at the skin she encountered. She had no idea that her bra had been removed until Casey's warm, wet, mouth was engulfing her breast, her facile tongue thrumming the nipple to a stiff peak. "Oh, god, Casey, don't stop," she breathed out, tugging on her red hair.

The woman obliged her by kissing her way over to her other breast, all the while tugging and pinching at the nipple she had just abandoned. The sweet, heady, feeling of an approaching orgasm began to tighten her body and she sharply pulled on Casey's hair. The woman lazily looked up at her, a smirk on her face. "Yes, Erin?"  
"I, I'm close."

"Close to what? Heaven?"

"Or Hell, if you keep teasing me like this. Please."

"All you had to do was say so sweetly. Is this making you feel better?" There was real concern in the woman's voice, and Erin nodded, detangling her hand from Casey's hair to caress her face. "Good." The wicked smile that crossed her lips sent shivers down Erin's spine and she whined a little as she continued to place soft kisses down her torso, darting her tongue out to trace the silvery stretch marks before continuing down to the juncture between her thighs. "Are you sure you want this?"

"You pick now to ask me that question? Mind and body are in harmony here, Casey, screaming yes." She nodded and spread her legs, bending in close to take a deep breath. Erin squirmed beneath the attention she was being paid, eager to feel Casey's lips and tongue on her. And then came the first delicate flicking of her tongue on her clit. Erin's back bowed as she tried to come in closer contact with that wonderful, delicious, heady, sensation. There was something about a woman's touch down there that drove her wild and she dug her free hand into the leather of her sofa as her orgasm swept over her, causing her to see stars.

Casey collapsed on top of her, her breathing harsh and loud in her ear. Hesitantly, Erin wrapped her arms around the woman's waist, surprised when she burrowed in close to her. And then she felt the first tears splash down on her skin and she rubbed her back lightly. "I'm sorry."

"For what, Casey? That was incredible."

"For pushing you like that. I just, I had to get this case out of my system, I didn't want to spend another day focusing on what that monster did. I hate this part of my job, you know." Erin nodded as she tightened her arms around Casey's waist. "I didn't know how sheltered you were from this."

Erin sought out her lips, silencing the words that were spilling from her lips. "Let's take this to my home. We can work from there just as easily as we can here, and it will be easier to take a break."

"That sounds nice," she said as she sat up, tugging on Erin's arm so that she would join her. "I'll get our clothes." As Erin watched, Casey gracefully bent and picked up articles of clothing, handing them to Erin. She sorted them out, keeping her own and setting Casey's to the side. "Erin?"

"Yes?"

"Nothing, I guess." She began to put on her clothes and Erin followed suit, leaving her blouse untucked. There would be no point when she knew it would be coming off soon again, anyway. Going over to her desk, she pulled out her purse from her bottom drawer, checking to make sure her keys were there. "Do you have a satchel we can put these papers in?"

Erin nodded and grabbed her attaché case, bringing it over to the table. "You have a bit of my lipstick on your cheek. Here," she said as she reached out and rubbed the mark gently, making it fade away.

"Thank you," she replied, blushing lightly. They worked quickly to pack everything up, their hands briefly touching as they went. Once everything was inside, Erin snapped the case shut, letting Casey carry it as she slipped on her trench coat. "I take it I'm riding with you."

"I would assume so, since you took a cab here from the airport." Erin grinned at the woman, winking a little. Casey's blush deepened and Erin had to swallow her giggle. As they made their way to the elevators, Penelope happened to be making her way to the bullpen, and Erin waved a little to her. The woman gaped a little, and Erin reached up the smooth her hair, certain that she knew what had just happened in her office.

Once on the elevator, her phone buzzed in her purse and she pulled it out. _You go, Erin!_ was all it read and she shook her head as she stuffed it back inside. "Something important?"

"No, it was just a reminder from a friend to let myself go." She reached out for Casey's hand, squeezing tightly as they rode down. The doors opened and she led her over to her car, letting her stow her things in the back seat while she started the vehicle. "So, I don't drink, you won't find any alcohol in my home."

"That's okay, you're intoxicating enough as it is," she murmured as Erin drove on. She was glad for the dark, as it hid the deep blush that stained her cheeks. They fell silent, and Erin turned the radio up a little, needing something to fill that vacuum. She was surprised when Casey began to hum along with the song, and she turned her head for a moment to smile at her, feeling a deep sense of peace settle over her heart.

By the time she had pulled into the garage, she knew that she and Casey would end up in bed together that night, and she also knew that she was totally okay with that happening. Turning the car off, she got out and went up to the door, unlocking it. Casey brushed past her, and she drew in a deep breath, smelling the mingled scents of sex and perfume. "Would you like some water or anything?"

"No, I'm good. Are we going to set up in your living room?"

"I was thinking the dining room. I have a large table where we can set everything out, perhaps organize it a little better. Here, follow me." This time, Casey was the one to grab hold of her hand, letting Erin lead her into the dining room. They took a few minutes to lay everything out and then Erin looked up at her. "The bedrooms are upstairs."

"Good." They smiled at each other and she left the room, knowing Casey would follow her. It didn't surprise her when Casey closed her arm around her waist, pulling her tight to her side. "Am I going to be in the guest room, then?"

"If that's what you want."

"Oh, I definitely want something." Erin glanced at her from the corner of her eye, taking in the sly grin that covered her face. Feeling emboldened, Erin let her own hand come to rest on the woman's pert ass, enjoying the feel of the firm flesh beneath her fingers. "That would be part of it."

"Good, since that's what I would like as well."

Somehow, they made it up the stairs without tripping or falling, a minor miracle in Erin's mind, and then she pulled her over to her own bedroom. The moment she had closed the door, she pounced on Casey, kissing her passionately. The woman's mouth opened beneath her onslaught and she dueled with her tongue once more, trying to get every taste of her in her own mouth. She got them over to her bed, pushing the woman down and gently laying on top of her. Their disrobing this time was slow, leisurely, and Erin kissed each small piece of skin that was bared.

"Harder," Casey moaned, pulling her hair roughly as Erin kissed the swell of her breasts. "Mark me." Hesitantly, Erin nodded, nipping at the tender flesh. She was rewarded with a sharp whine and she knew that she had pleased the woman. She flicked open the front clasp on Casey's bra and thumbed one of the erect nipples, loving how she felt beneath her fingers.

"I'll bet you taste just as good," she whispered as she dragged her lips down to kiss that delightfully pink peak. Casey's legs parted for her, and she fitted her body between them, running her free hand down her body until she reached the lace band of her panties. Together, they tugged them off while Erin sucked and bit at the nipple.

Erin's fingers parted the folds of the woman's labia, seeking out her clit. The strained moans and harsh breaths pushed her on and she rubbed it gently in a circle with her thumb, knowing that that move in particular drove her wild. It worked for Casey as well, and she was soon in the throes of an intense orgasm.

As they collapsed into each other, Erin began to stroke Casey's hair, placing soft kisses on her face. "We're going to be here until I have to go back, right?"

"If that's what would work best for you," she replied breathlessly, finding herself snuggling close to the woman, wanting to be near her. "I think it would work best for me."

Casey nodded, leaning in to peck at her lips quickly. "Then, that's what we'll do. And try to get some work finished before I go home." She kissed her again. "And maybe I could steal kisses when everything gets to be too overwhelming."

"Those little tastes of desire will keep us going when it gets to be too much." Casey nodded and then yawned widely, nuzzling her face into Erin's neck. "I guess we should get to sleep now. Morning will come too soon."

"That it will," she answered in a thick voice. "Night, Erin."

"Good night, Casey." Erin placed a gentle kiss on the woman's forehead before letting her eyes close heavily, giving herself over to sleep, knowing that for a brief time she was sheltered in the arms of this woman and had nothing to worry about.


End file.
